A Dominant Performance in New Taipei
Racing into a slight headwind of -0.3 metres per second, Amusan crossed the finish line in 12.72 seconds, well ahead of the rest of the field. Taiwan’s Bo Ya Zhang came in a distant second at 13.17 seconds, while compatriot Yi Po-an rounded off the podium with a time of 13.37 seconds. The margin of victory was emphatic; by the time Amusan crossed the line, the last competitor in the field had not yet cleared the final hurdle.
Furthermore, her winning time erased the previous meet record of 12.80 seconds, a mark that had been held by American veteran and former world champion Nia Ali. It was, in every sense, a statement performance.
Building Momentum From the Heats
Amusan’s dominance was not limited to the final alone. She had earlier cruised through her qualifying heat with the same ease and clinical precision that has become her trademark. By the time she stepped onto the track for the final, there was little doubt about the outcome and she delivered accordingly, seizing full control of the race after clearing the fourth hurdle and steadily extending her lead from that point.
Back-to-Back Records in Two Weeks
What makes Saturday’s victory even more impressive is the context surrounding it. Notably, the New Taipei triumph comes just days after Amusan produced arguably the highlight of her 2026 season so far a blistering 12.28-second victory at the Wanda Diamond League meeting in Rabat, Morocco.
At Rabat, she not only claimed her first Diamond League win of the season but also broke her own meeting record at the venue, which had stood at 12.45 seconds from the 2025 edition. That performance placed her among the fastest women in the world over the 100 metres hurdles this year and sent a clear message to her rivals.
Consequently, Saturday’s win in New Taipei marked the second consecutive meet in which Amusan has broken a competition record, an extraordinary run of consistency that underlines her status as the dominant force in women’s hurdling.
A 2026 Season Built on Consistency
To fully appreciate what Amusan is achieving this year, it helps to trace her 2026 campaign from the beginning. Before arriving at the Diamond League, she had already been in impressive form on the global circuit. She opened her season at the African Athletics Championships in Accra, Ghana, where she claimed gold in the women’s 100 metres hurdles and helped Nigeria secure its first gold medal of the entire competition.
From there, she moved on to the Diamond League, where her performances in China were equally encouraging. She placed third in Shanghai with a time of 12.41 seconds before improving to 12.28 seconds for a runner-up finish in Xiamen, where her only defeat came at the hands of American hurdling star Masai Russell. However, Amusan subsequently reversed that result in Rabat, taking the top spot in the same time of 12.28 seconds.
In total, the Nigerian has now won three of her five races this season and has not finished outside the podium in any of them, a record that speaks for itself.
The World Record Holder Who Keeps Delivering
Of course, Amusan’s credentials extend well beyond the 2026 season. Since she burst onto the global stage with her historic performance at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where she set a world record of 12.12 seconds in the semi-finals and went on to claim the global title. She has remained one of the most consistent and celebrated figures in women’s athletics.
Although Saturday’s time in New Taipei was not among the fastest of her career, the ability to produce yet another meet record at an international competition further highlights a defining quality: she wins, and she wins wherever she goes.
Looking Ahead
With the 2026 season still in full swing, all eyes will now turn to what comes next for the Nigerian superstar. Moreover, given the momentum she is currently carrying back-to-back record-breaking victories in the space of a week and there is every reason to believe that the best of Tobi Amusan’s 2026 campaign is still to come.
For Nigerian athletics fans and track enthusiasts worldwide, the message could not be clearer: Tobi Amusan is not just defending her legacy. She is actively building upon it.
